Friday, 1 November 2013

Hamstring Stretch

Hamstrings - the muscle group at the back of your thigh - are a very important group of muscles to stretch as they attach to the bottom of your pelvis and so have an effect on stabilising your pelvis and back.

If you have short or tight hamstrings it can affect how you walk and run. If you play sport you may find a hamstring strain can easily occur if they are tight.

Children and Teenagers can develop tight hamstrings as their bodies grow - the bones grow 1st and then the muscles need to catch up.

You can see from the picture that the hamstrings attach at the pelvis and then on the leg below the knee - so we need a straight leg to stretch the hamstrings effectively.

There are several ways that you can stretch this muscle group by straightening your leg and bending forward which tips the pelvis.

Chiropractor Rachel Hodson demonstrates the hamstring stretch

The easiest way that I have found to perform a hamstring stretch is to stand with your feet apart with the leg you wish to stretch in front. Bend your back leg at the knee keeping the front leg straight and bending forwards at the hips (see our previous post hip hinge). You can lean back and down at the same time to increase the stretch as if you were going to sit on something behind you.